Course Catalogue

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This course will explore in depth the work of several key postcolonial and decolonial theorists (Said, Spivak, Bhabha, Fanon, Mignolo, Mbembe, bell hooks, among others), and study in English translation several postcolonial literary texts, as well as cinematic and photographic works, from a range of cultures and societies across the world. .

2 hours x 11 weeks at times to be arranged.

Standard entry to Masters level.

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Oral presentation of 10 minutes (20%) plus final essay of 4000 words (80%), 

This course aims to offer the participants the opportunity to:

■ Critically examine a range of key works in in postcolonial theory as a contextual framing of the study of related literature, film, and other visual media

■ Critically engage with the literary and cultural movements as well as theoretical trends within the historical and cultural areas covered

■ Develop advanced skills for analysing complex text with a postcolonial perspective.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify and critically evaluate major developments in postcolonial theory, literature and culture, across a range of different geographical and linguistic contexts.

■  Through oral presentation critically compare and contrast how various colonial-era and postcolonial artists and writers exemplify the ideas presented in the work of the theorists studied.

■ Critically assess the significance of selected postcolonial theories in terms of their contribution to the development of modern critical discourse as well as the field of comparative literature more broadly

■ Analyse in writing and orally one or more literary or cultural texts, films, or visual media, engaging critically with a range of relevant methodologies and theories.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.